A critical synthesis and thematic analysis of the use of social media in higher education marketing

This study examined empirical, peer-reviewed literature related to social media and marketing in higher education to answer how marketing has been implemented into social media in institutions of higher education and how effective that use has been. The literature review yielded numerous empirical studies conducted on social media and marketing in higher education but very few peer-reviewed studies on the subject. Twelve peer-reviewed, empirical studies were analyzed using a critical review and thematic analysis method to synthesize and report the outcomes. Findings from the analyses were outlined in a thematic map that explored three unifying main topics discovered in the 12 articles: (1) Why social media marketing is used in higher education (2) How social media marketing is being used in higher education, and (3) The effectiveness of the use of social media marketing in higher education. Data analysis concluded that prospective students still rely on the traditional forms of marketing, such as the website and print materials, although evidence is mounting that social media is gaining influence in the decision-making process. In addition, utilizing social media effectively in marketing efforts is more important than just having a presence on a site. Conclusions drawn suggested that university officials should plan strategically and they should be knowledgeable about how students prefer to communicate on social media so social media marketing can be incorporated into an institution-wide tactic that includes the gathering of measurable analytics on the effectiveness of the effort.